I N T R O D U C T I O N
What’s ItAllAbout?
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Every teacher, no matter how busy, should take time
to cover some of the material in this three-part
introductory unit. Through brainstorming and new
contacts within the community, students move from
planning for their own safety to learning firsthand
about critical facilities and lifeline systems that serve
large numbers of people.
Please read through all the lessons well in advance,
especially noting the Teacher Preparation section at
the beginning of each Procedure. In this unit you will
build a foundation for the units and lessons ahead by
enlisting the cooperation of your school’s
administrators, your fellow teachers, and emergency
personnel throughout the community and even
beyond. Take time to scan the rest of the units too.
You may want to let parents know now that you will
be asking for their help in the Unit Five field trips and
home safety activities. If you plan to involve the
school community and outside experts in the
culmination of Unit Four, also include this information
in the initial contacts you make during this unit.
Lesson one, which students may complete either
individually or in small groups, provides an
assessment of what students already know about
earthquakes plus experience with both scientific and
popular ways of describing them. The worksheets
provided will make this activity easier for students
who aren’t thoroughly comfortable with writing. In
lesson two, students distinguish between luxuries and
necessities, describe their own experience with natural
hazards and how they and their families obtained the
necessities, and come to see how preparedness can
help individuals and families cope effectively in the
event of an earthquake or other natural disaster. In the
following units, students will learn some strategies for
risk reduction.
Lesson three, which requires the cooperation of a
number of emergency personnel in the community at
large, calls for some extra effort on the part of your
students. Teachers who have tried it report that the
outcome is worth the effort. The contacts you and your
students make now will be vital through the units that
follow and even after this curriculum is completed.
Your students, their families, and your entire
community will be empowered to prepare wisely for
the possibility of an earthquake or other destructive
natural phenomenon.
